Mother: Jail inmates with disabilities need protection

GRAHAM — Detention officers at the Alamance County jail are following “special provisions” for an inmate with intellectual disabilities, a spokesman for the sheriff’s department said Wednesday.

Nathaniel Kieran Pucknat, 20, of East Gilbreath St., Graham, was charged with statutory rape on June 13. He was taken into custody by Graham police and transported to the Alamance County jail, where he is being held under a $50,000 bond. He’s accused of having sex with a 14-year-old girl.

Pucknat’s mother, Christina Buchanan, said she is concerned for his safety while he’s held in the jail.

Several doctor’s notes she showed The Times-News described Pucknat as being on the intellectual level of a third-grader and said Pucknat “has to be reminded about normal daily activities,” including personal hygiene and dressing. The notes were on the letterhead for the Charles Drew Health Center and signed by Dr. Harriett Burns.

Since his arrest, Buchanan petitioned the jail and Alamance County Sheriff’s Office to have him housed separately for his safety.

He was initially held in a four-person cell, where an inmate named “Bobby” was supposedly looking after him. Later, “Bobby” called her asking for money, Buchanan said.

Jailers moved him to a different area “where he says he feels safe” after another inmate tried to steal his food Monday night, Buchanan said.

“Why wouldn’t they listen to me at first? The system is not right. I want to change the law” so that it applies to county jails and not just state prisons, Buchanan said.

Alamance County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Randy Jones wouldn’t comment specifically about where or how Pucknat is being housed.

“I can tell you they’ve made special provisions for him and for how he’s being monitored and being held,” Jones said.

Inmates taken into the Alamance County jail are evaluated for their mental, physical and medical condition, Jones said. Part of that evaluation involves the Brief Jail Mental Health Screen, an eight-question interview that trained officers use to assess someone’s state of mind. Nurses perform medical examinations. Additional evaluations can be made if officers find them necessary.

The mental health screen was adopted by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and is required by the N.C. Administrative Code. Jails are also encouraged to be in contact with local agencies overseeing mental health for additional screening and assistance.

Jails are also required to monitor inmates, viewing each of them a minimum of twice an hour on irregular intervals. If inmates present a risk to themselves, detention officers monitor them a minimum of four times an hour. Jones said a visual check of those on suicide watch is made at least once every 15 minutes if not more often.

If detention officers deemed it necessary, Pucknat or others could be housed separately in one of several areas of the jail. Jones said the jail annex particularly is useful in those situations. Detention officers are “continuously monitoring” conditions inside the jail, and that an inmate’s housing can change based on that, Jones said.

BUCHANAN SAYS HER son sometimes passes as not being disabled because she stays after him about his personal hygiene, dressing and how he carries himself. She says he can’t really take care of himself without her. She’s also worried that he’s being forced to sign legal documents in jail without understanding them or their consequence.

“If you’re going to put them there, you should have to take care of them. They have to be safe,” Buchanan said. “It’s not just about my son. Do people with disabilities — especially mental disabilities — have to go through this blind? What if they don’t have family members looking out for them? Is the system going to watch over them?”

The laws regarding conditions and standards at state prisons are stricter than those pertaining to county jails, she’s learned.

Cas Shearin, Disability Rights NC director of investigations and monitoring, didn’t comment on whether laws were needed for county jails but said more resources are needed to serve people with disabilities. She stressed that she didn’t know the facts surrounding Pucknat’s situation or conditions and procedures at the Alamance County jail.

“Jailers need to take the care that they need to take to provide safe and humane housing for inmates with disabilities,” Shearin said. “It’s not uncommon to hear stories of people who were in jails or prisons not getting the accommodations or care they need.”

Jailers need to be sure that someone with intellectual disabilities understands their surroundings, understands the rules and policies inside the jail, knows how to ask for help or address grievances and that they don’t become targets of or are set up by other inmates, Shearin said.

Shearin says provisions in the Americans with Disabilities Act requiring accessibility and accommodations for people with disabilities apply to all facilities.

Buchanan disputes the charges against her son but knew Graham police were conducting an investigation since early April. Since that time, she’s been in contact with organizations and agencies that aid those with special needs.

Margaret Livengood, executive director of the ARC of Alamance County — an organization that supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities — was in contact with Buchanan and Pucknat prior to his arrest. Livengood said she referred them to agencies and services and directed Buchanan to complete paperwork for legal guardianship of Pucknat.

Buchanan said the process was difficult, that she needed help explaining and completing legal paperwork. She thinks there ought to be more resources for people with special needs and those who care for them.

Buchanan filed the guardianship paperwork Tuesday. A court hearing is scheduled for July 2.

Pucknat made a first appearance in Alamance County District Court on Friday. Robert Sharpe was assigned as his attorney. Pucknat’s next court appearance is scheduled for July 3.